The Mob – Meanwhile Gardens, Westbourne Park, London W11 – 06/08/83

Our Life Our World / Another Day Another Death / Stay / Dance On / Prison / Gates Of Hell / Witch Hunt / Slayed / What’s Going On? / No Doves / I Hear You Laughing / Youth

Never Understood / Shuffling Souls / Witch Hunt

Thirty four years ago, as crumbling canal side terraces were being cleared in Westbourne Park, a local sculptor named Jamie McCullough wondered if some of the derelict wasteland that was left after the demolition could become a community garden. He asked the local authority (Westminster at the time) for permission to turn the rubble into a park. Westminster gave temporary permission – hence the name, Meanwhile. The name stuck and the Gardens prospered. Meanwhile Gardens is still there today and is still a nice day out.

The ‘idiot picnics’ which were held four times a year at Meanwhile Gardens from the summer of 1977 to the last events in 1988 were organised by the Lancaster Music Co Op and the Street Level studios folk (notibly Kif Kif and Grant Showbiz) with the additonal help of Protag. The Meanwhile Gardens events which I attended and jumped around in the sand pit with a bottle of Merrydown cider in hand, were enjoyable affairs with a real mix up bands and performers turning up to play, or to perform for free in the summer sun.

Enjoy the set, it’s an absolute blinder,  a nice bit of Grant Showbiz at the end and of course plenty of Raymond!

The other Meanwhile Gardens performance by The Mob recorded earlier on in that summer of 1983 is posted on this site right HERE.

Thanks to Mark Vegas Palmer for the photographs of  The Mob in action at Meanwhile Gardens.

View some other random photographs of Meanwhile Gardens HERE if you so wish.

Tom Vague’s apology to The Mob in Vague vol 15 above may be read HERE. Tom Vague had coated the band off pretty bad (along with most of the other ‘Crass’ type bands) in Vague vol 14.

Tom going to one of  The Mob’s Meanwhile Gardens gigs in the summer of 1983 turned his view of the band around, which was great to read!

Official Mob Site

12 comments
  1. ANDUS
    ANDUS
    July 21, 2010 at 3:34 pm

    4 pints of carlsburg. 4 cans of stella at my mates. a bottle of brandy and I come home to the mob live at meanwhile gardens, couldn’t get any better than this, greatest band of all time.

  2. Chris L
    Chris L
    July 22, 2010 at 4:54 am

    I think after knocking back that amount of bevvy even Keith Harris & Orville’s Christmas Album would sound like the greatest band and record of all time 😉

  3. Carl
    Carl
    July 22, 2010 at 8:38 am

    Im not sure after drinking that lot, I would have even made it home to listen to Keith Harris !!

  4. ANDUS
    ANDUS
    July 22, 2010 at 9:47 am

    i fell asleep shortly after listening to it. woke up with a cracking headache. i had to cycle home down the canal. missed my stop and carried on to the next bridge. got home and found this Mob gig posted on my mates FB, the brandy was only a half bottle. brandy is definately a far superior drink to vodka. though i don’t think I’ll be drinking another one today. but then again.

  5. ANDUS
    ANDUS
    July 22, 2010 at 10:19 am

    Still sounds good this morning. though not quite as good as it did yesterday. Damn good performance of No Doves.

  6. ANDUS
    ANDUS
    July 22, 2010 at 3:32 pm

    Hold on. Hold on a minute. Quote ‘would sound like the greatest band and record of all time’. You’re at it again, deliberately miss-quoting me. I said the greatest band of all time. No mention of a record whatsover, ever.

  7. Chris L
    Chris L
    July 22, 2010 at 8:17 pm

    Eh? Steady…

  8. Nic
    Nic
    July 23, 2010 at 12:21 am

    Andus and Chris: listen to some DISORDAAAAAAARGHHHHHH and relax…

  9. ray ss
    ray ss
    July 23, 2010 at 3:53 pm

    hey i am ripping ‘theres more than male voice choirs in wales’ tape comp, i got it second hand years ago but just a cover, no insert or booklet, do you know if it came with an insert or booklet, anyway can someone at least post the tracklist.
    thanks a bunch, when its done i’ll post a link here.
    thanks for the great music and pics.

  10. ANDUS
    ANDUS
    July 23, 2010 at 6:32 pm

    Lol, I was only kidding,

  11. Palmer
    Palmer
    July 31, 2010 at 7:49 pm

    No-one is moving and no doves fly here,
    No-one is thinking and no doves fly here,
    No-one remembers beyond all this fear,
    No doves fly here

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